Former Jan. 6 prosecutors urge Senate to block Trump judicial picks over riot stance

Twelve former Justice Department attorneys who handled Jan. 6 prosecutions have issued a joint letter urging the Senate to reject President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees unless they describe the Capitol breach as an attack on American democracy and acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. The signatories, many of whom served under the Biden administration, released the letter as the Senate Judiciary Committee convened a hearing on the nominations, arguing that a nominee’s response to these issues is a litmus test for their fitness for a lifetime bench.

Senators Richard Blumenthal and Sheldon Whitehouse amplified the message at a press conference, singling out Anna St. John, a district judge nominated to the Fifth Circuit, for refusing to adopt their characterization of Jan. 6. Former DOJ prosecutor Michael Romano, along with Sean Murphy and Brennan Blue, warned that nominees who cannot answer basic questions should be voted down, with Blue also accusing Trump of attempting to subvert future elections.

The campaign is linked to Justice Connection, a nonprofit of former DOJ lawyers that has organized opposition to the Trump administration’s policies. The hearing also featured other Trump nominees, including Adam Candeub for the Antitrust Division and several district-court and sentencing-commission candidates.